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Experiences from Ground, Coastal and Transitional Water Quality Monitoring pp 249–270Cite as

First Report on the Distribution and Impact of Marine Alien Species in Coastal Benthic Assemblages Along the Catalan Coast

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Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 43))

Abstract

The Mediterranean Sea is especially prone to the introduction of alien species due to an intense marine traffic, the connection with the Red Sea through the Suez Canal and intensive aquaculture. Catalonia, a region in the Northwestern Mediterranean, began an extensive study on the presence, distribution and impact of invasive macroalgae in 1992, which was extended to all macrobenthic alien species by 2007. Gathering all presence and abundance data of introduced species from the monitoring, we also calculated a Biopollution Level (BPL) index to assess the magnitude of the effects of introduced species on the marine biota at a local level (water body) as required by Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Seventeen alien species have been identified although only three can be considered so far as threatening in non-modified environments: the green alga Caulerpa cylindracea and the red algae Womersleyella setacea and Asparagopsis armata. These species show an uneven distribution along the coast but sometimes coexist in the same water body. The impact of alien species on native communities was never severe as shown by the low values obtained using the BPL. The only species triggering a moderate to strong impact was Caulerpa cylindracea but it only affected a single water body. However, C. cylindracea exhibited a great temporal variability on its abundance, with sudden collapses of its populations, which also caused a great variability in the BPL. Future monitoring of the coasts of Catalonia is advised as there is an increase in the number of water bodies affected by alien species and an increase in their abundances from 2007 to 2012.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Olga Delgado, Manuel Maldonado, Daniel Martin, Clara Rovira, Gemma Ribera, Natàlia Sant, Teresa Alcoverro, Ramón Alós, Luisa Mangialajo, Xavier Torras, Paula López, Esther Jordana, Maria Paola Satta, Maria Elena Cefalí and Simone Mariani for their help during the field missions. We also acknowledge Andreu Núñez, Conxi Rodríguez-Prieto, Marc Terradas, Eduard Llorente, Aurora Martínez-Ricart and Bernat Hereu for providing records of some aliens. We are especially grateful to Agència Catalana de l’Aigua and to INTRAMURAL-CSIC project reference 201330E065 for providing funds for this study. Finally, thanks are also due to M. De Torres for her constant support during this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CSIC, Acc. Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Girona, Spain

    María García, Susana Pinedo, Emma Cebrian & Enric Ballesteros

  2. C. Suïssa 17, 17258, L’Estartit, Girona, Spain

    Boris Weitzmann

  3. Departament de Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Girona, Campus de Montilivi, 17071, Girona, Spain

    Emma Cebrian

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  1. María García
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  2. Boris Weitzmann
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  3. Susana Pinedo
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  4. Emma Cebrian
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  5. Enric Ballesteros
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to María García .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Water Quality and Monitori, Catalan Water Agency (ACA), Barcelona, Spain

    Antoni Munné

  2. Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain

    Antoni Ginebreda

  3. Department of Ecology, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain

    Narcís Prat

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García, M., Weitzmann, B., Pinedo, S., Cebrian, E., Ballesteros, E. (2015). First Report on the Distribution and Impact of Marine Alien Species in Coastal Benthic Assemblages Along the Catalan Coast. In: Munné, A., Ginebreda, A., Prat, N. (eds) Experiences from Ground, Coastal and Transitional Water Quality Monitoring. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 43. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2015_411

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